


Past the Winter, Comes the Spring.

by BeesKneesandNoodles



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Implied Relationships, Implied annorexia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Love hurts like a bitch, Other, Renora, THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I'VE TRIED TO POST THIS, healthy platonic relationships, oc (mentioned) - Freeform, rated teen for mentioned topics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:28:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27776875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeesKneesandNoodles/pseuds/BeesKneesandNoodles
Summary: Raven killed the last spring maiden.Nora has a few things to say about that.CHECK THE TAGS
Relationships: Lie Ren & Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie
Kudos: 23





	Past the Winter, Comes the Spring.

Nora was having a very… very bad day. She had only just figured out how to make her body work properly again after nearly frying her brain and now a little black birdie was stalking the group. Nora’s fighting with Ren was relaxing a little, but it was still fucking brutal on both, the idea of them growing apart ripped their hearts apart. Nora had little secrets she kept. She’d kept the secret of being underweight from Ren until their physicals at Beacon exposed her. She’d kept the secret she witnessed the death of Kuroyuri until they arrived at the ghost town. She’d kept the secret Oz had been the one to get the two into Beacon by working over Glynda until Juane and Pyrrah figured it out.

Her secrets moved as a pattern. She experienced the pain, became broken for a few weeks, then plastered on that cheerful mask, and kept the secret until something forced her to confess it. She never told her secrets voluntarily. So when her biggest secret was slowly, albeit steadily rising to the surface, she scrambled to push it down. She didn’t want to face the music of what had happened to her, of how she ended up on Anima. But…

Nothing’s ever easy for people like Nora, is it?

Raven showed up at the door. She knocked and greeted them like it was a perfectly normal day despite the fact 9 huntsmen had their weapons to her head. She said, “I’m only here to meet the newest maiden. She deserves to know how to handle her powers.”

She acted like she hadn’t done anything wrong.

Oh, it made Nora Valkyrie’s blood boil. She tried to keep it in. She tried to restrain the comment before it left her lips, but the second Raven decided to help Penny was the moment she had doomed herself. 

_ “Like my mother did?” _ She whispered bitterly. She was met with a raised eyebrow. 

“If you’re going to back sass me, do it loud.” Raven sighed, hands on her hips.

Nora made her decision. “I said  _ Like my mother did? _ ” She growled a little louder. Raven blinked once. Then twice. Then it hit her. “There’s no way- you were only-” 

“Seven. Yeah. I survived.” She sighed. The strange looks from everyone around the room made her squirm, but she focused her eyes on Raven. “Tell them all what you did, Branwen.” She hissed.

Raven shifted. She shuffled a little. “I…” She stalled before an unexpected voice spoke up. “I’d like to know what happened to Miss Valkyrie’s mother, Miss Branwen. Everyone take a seat, I feel this will be a long tale.” Ozpin decided. 

Everyone did as asked, Yet Nora remained standing, leaned against a wall.

Raven cleared her throat. “The… the uh, spring maiden before me. Her name was Odenia Valkyrie. She… she was scared as hell when we found her. She was just a young girl. 16. We- S-summer, Taiyang, Qrow, and I- We worked to get her powers in check and teach her some self-defense. She was good, with self-defense, but her powers… she was losing control of them every other day. She often begged us to kill her and spare her from her pain. In the meantime, we graduated from Beacon and I had Yang… then I offered to take Odenia with me when I left for my home in Anima. I knew… I knew I couldn’t raise Yang well…” Her voice cracked gently, “Not with how unstable I am. So I gave her to Tai and disappeared with Odenia. She revealed to me that she was pregnant. Gave birth shortly after we got back to the Branwen camp. She had a little girl. Carrot-head. Blue eyes like her mom. Named her Nora, but decided that only I, Vernal, and Nora herself would know that. To everyone else, she’d be Nadia. Nadia Valentine. For seven long years, that strong little girl took every punch fate through at her and reflected it right back at it. Odenia was still fighting to get control, still begging me to kill her. One day, I did. I think I think I thought that’d make her happy. Her eyes just looked at Nadia and then went back to me. She just closed her eyes. Died with a sigh. Then I was the new spring maiden. I… I still think it was a mercy.”    
Nora didn’t like this telling. It made Raven sound innocent. “My side of this story is that I was born into the Branwen camp and told to tell everyone my name was Nadia unless I really trusted them. I got beat the shit out of every time Raven or Mum or Vernal turned their back. They leered at me. Made me wish I could just disappear. I told them over and over. Mum would repeat it back to Raven and Raven would tell me to ‘buck up’. That’s it. I was  _ ages four to seven _ , being looked at in a way that made me violently uncomfortable, and she told me to  _ buck up. _ Then when I was going to finally tell my mother and Raven about all the abuse the men dolled out, I watched her  _ stab my mother in the stomach. _ I watched the light leave her eyes. I watched her die. That night, I poured every flammable substance out on every flammable surface and lit the damned camp ablaze. Ran away. Ran until my feet bled. Ran, ran, ran. Then I found myself in Kuroyuri. That’s it. That’s my story.” She told, before slumping down to the floor. She wanted to cry. Wanted to disappear. Then she felt a calm wash over her. Looked at her hands and her colors were dulled. Ren, who was sat across the room, had his eyes closed in focus.  _ Thank you, Lie. _ She thought, standing back up to go to her assigned room.  _ But I can’t do this right now. _

______________________

Nora curled up in her room, just crying. She never wanted to relive that time of her life again, but there she had been, forced to share her most shameful, darkest secret. She was a Branwen. She had spent the first seven years of her life getting beat the shit out of on the daily. She was a member of the cruelest, most horrible tribe by blood and she could never change that.

She heard a knock at her door, startling her from her state. “W-who is it?” She asked, voice cracking softly. “It’s Qrow.” A gravelly, tired voice responded. Nora sniffed. “Come in…” She allowed, wiping her tears from her cheeks. Qrow sat beside her on her cot. “So. You grew up… there.” He sighed. Nora nodded silently, shame in her cerulean eyes. “You’re strong. You survived a lot of shit. You did a good job, Nora. I grew up there too. I wish I’d burned the damn place down first.” He sighed. Nora kicked her feet, which were dangling a little bit off the ground. “I hated every second of it. Looking back, I hate that it was my normal.” She admitted. Qrow nodded. “Oz told us what caught his attention about you too. Impressive, killing a Beowolf with a broken stick.” He smiled in a way one could almost call like a proud dad. “You told Oz afterward that you just did what you had to do. Impressed him even more. You’re a regular little badass, aren’t you?” Nora chuckled softly, smiling weakly up at Qrow. He ruffled her ginger curls and hugged her. He didn’t smell like whiskey. Nora felt proud of him. “I’m always here to talk to, kiddo, I might only be Yang and Ruby’s uncle, but you’re all my kids.” 

Nora smiled softly. “Thanks, Qrow. You… you’re alright. I’m sorry I was so weary of you at first.”

Qrow shrugged. “Can’t blame you.” He stood and left with another reminder he was always there for all of them.

She kicked her boots off with the intention of laying down and going to sleep, but when she laid down she couldn’t bear to close her eyes. The moment she closed her eyes, she could see her mother’s death. The stab through the stomach. The way her heterochromatic eyes filled with tears upon seeing her. But then there was a soft knock at her door, rousing her from her catatonic silence. Ruby opened the door, followed by Weiss, Blake, and Yang. They all found places to sit, from the floor (Yang and Blake) to her bed by her legs (Weiss), to on top of her, laughing softly as she did it (Ruby). She smiled to see that Team RWBY was so worried about her. Yang was the first to speak. “I… Still can’t believe what my mom did. I’m sorry.” When Nora opened her mouth to protest the apology, Ruby spoke next, “And I know what it’s like to lose your mom- albeit, I didn’t see mine die, but, I do know it hurts. Bad. And neither of us are really healed, so we can work together!” Nora was rendered speechless, a little blush rising in her cheeks. Weiss smiled at her dorky partner. “I didn’t lose my mom to death, but I did lose her to alcoholism. I… I guess all three of us can work through that mess together.” When Nora looked at Weiss in disbelief, Blake finally spoke. “Gods save us the day my mom meets you guys. She’d hug you all so hard. If you need a mom who’s really involved, I got mine on backup.” She laughed softly. Nora felt so overwhelmed. All four of them were here for her. Nora started crying, not sad tears, but happy ones. Ruby pulled her up and hugged her close, followed by Weiss, who declared, “If you cry I’ll cry, you dolts!”, then Blake and Yang with soft smiles on their faces. Nora just let herself be squished by them, crying onto Weiss and Ruby’s shoulders. The younger huntresses were so kind to her, even when she didn’t deserve it. “T-than-thank you! I love all of you, you’re the best, I love you all-” They pulled out of the hug and adjusted so everyone could press their foreheads together. “We know, Nora. We love you too.” Ruby agreed, before directing her team out with the statement, “Alright, let’s let her have some rest.”

Nora just sat and stared at the wall, giving up on sleeping. She was tired, tired, tired. Too tired to fall asleep. She just laid there with her head pressed against the wall, remembering all the horrible things she had forced herself to repress. A gentle, “Knock knock,” in Jaune’s caring voice set her straight. “Come in,” She sighed, still laying there half-numb. Jaune sat down across the bed from her, laying his head against the wall to match how Nora was sitting. “Hey.” He whispered. “Hey.” Nora greeted. Jaune just laid there for a moment, then took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. “That… sucks.” 

Nora nodded.

Jaune sat silently once more.

Nora let out a quiet, “Thank you.”

It was Jaune’s turn to nod silently. 

More silence. It was comforting. Jaune said one last thing before getting up to go. “You know, Pyrrah would’ve punched Raven so hard the second she finished her story.” 

Nora chuckled.

Jaune smiled and left quietly. 

Nora loved Jaune.

Ozpin was the next to visit, knocking then entering without waiting for an answer in true headmaster fashion. She had gotten two hours to herself to cry and lay there and think. Ozpin leaned against his cane. “Oscar sends his regards to you, for what happened to your late mother.” He spoke softly, concern in his voice. Nora nodded slowly from where she sat, back to the wall, knees to her chest and chin perched on her knees. “Thanks, Oscar.” She mumbled. Ozpin nodded. He sat by Nora’s side, sighing. “I’m truly sorry as well. No one could have foreseen how fragile Raven’s psyche truly was. No one could have known. I’m sorry I cost you your mother.” 

Nora couldn’t cry anymore. She had dehydrated herself she had cried so hard. “Just… don’t let it happen to another innocent woman.” She croaked, resting her cheek on her knee, facing Oz. Oz sighed deeply. “I don’t intend to. Never again. I’ll get you some water, Miss Valkyrie, you must be terribly thirsty.” He hurried away.

Nora only offered a tired smile when he returned and set the glass next to her.

After she finished her glass of water, she finally got a little sleep.

_________________________

When Nora woke up, there was a weight on her left arm. The feeling was distantly familiar. Then she opened her eyes. The weight was Lie Ren, dead asleep, his head laid on his arms, her arm caught beneath it. He had pulled a chair in and sat by her side. Nora’s eyes softened. “Ren.” She whispered sweetly, “Ren, wake up. You’re on my arm.” He blinked awake and sat up with a grumbled, “Sorry.” He picked up her hand and held it, just sat there. Just. Just sat and held it. Nothing but that. And that was more than enough for Nora. They’d been fighting so much, for Ren to still come to care for her when she was at her lowest touched her heart in the softest way. Nora worked to sit up and sighed deeply. He went to let go of her hand, but Nora didn’t stop holding his, so he decided not to. “Good morning.” She whispered. Ren smiled lovingly. “Hmph. Good morning.” He groaned. 

“Some things never change,” She hummed. 

“Agreed,” He sighed, flopping back in the stiff metal chair. 

“Did you come in here because my dreams were attracting Grimm?” She asked softly. Ren shook his head, “No. I just… thought you shouldn’t be alone.” He whispered. Nora smiled, leaned forward, and kissed his head. “Thank you.”

“You helped me face Kuroyuri. I’ll help you face your past.”

Nora smiled softly and reached out.

"Boop."

**Author's Note:**

> yeah, this one ended oddly. I ended up losing motivation and working on three different ideas at once. Cheers, ADHD!   
> I have a twitter now, you can find me @BeeEmerick :)


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